MakeUseOf

Every major browser has a setting that can completely punch through your network-wide DNS filtering

Afam Onyimadu — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 23:00:14 GMT

I put one of my favorite soccer websites on my NextDNS deny list and, as expected, Windows could no longer resolve the domain normally. But when I opened Chrome and flipped just one setting, the browser loaded the site as if the block had never existed.

I almost bought a smart home hub before realizing my Echo already had one

Jonathon Jachura — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 22:00:15 GMT

I was finishing a new room in my basement and wanted smart switches down there. The Zigbee models I liked all came with the same fine print: hub required. A SmartThings hub sat in my Amazon cart, one tap from ordered, before I remembered my Echo Hub has its own Zigbee radio. A handful of other Echos do, too. I'd already unified all my smart devices under one app, and I'd almost undone that for a handful of switches. I paired new bulbs directly to Alexa to test the idea, and then I canceled the order.

Samsung copied the Pixel's best feature

Sagar Naresh — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 21:00:14 GMT

At this point, Samsung Galaxy AI is quite mature and produces far better results than any other AI offered by smartphone brands, including Apple's AI.

VLC has a hidden live TV feature, and it gives you thousands of free channels

Tashreef Shareef — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:30:14 GMT

VLC gained popularity because it can play almost any kind of media file. However, the little traffic cone app is more than just a media player. Beyond its local media playback capability, VLC can also help you stream thousands of TV channels for free. All you have to do is enter a URL and start streaming your favorite TV channel from anywhere for free.

4 free apps that made my old Android phone feel new again

Pankil Shah — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:00:14 GMT

I have an old Galaxy S22, which is about four years old now. It’s technically a flagship from 2022, but it runs nothing like one in 2026.

You're seriously missing out if you're using Claude without these skills

Mahnoor Faisal — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:30:14 GMT

With how many features Anthropic (and pretty much every other AI lab) drops every week, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with everything. And I say that as someone whose job quite literally revolves around testing these features, so trust me, I get it!

I disabled 6 Apple Watch features for battery life, and only the obvious one mattered

Rob LeFebvre — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:00:14 GMT

I've got an older Series 7 Apple Watch, and I noticed it just didn't seem to stay charged as long as it used to. When I opened up the Battery Health Setting on the watch itself, I got some bad news. "Important Battery Message," it said. "The battery's capacity is significantly reduced. To restore capacity, please check your service options."

AMD might finally have the GPU Nvidia forgot to make

Shaheer Khan — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:30:14 GMT

Nvidia has always led in desktop GPUs — until now. The RTX 50-Series' disastrous launch was the deciding factor in the GPU war against AMD, and Team Red won despite releasing only three GPUs (with different variants) in the RDNA 4 lineup.

Samsung's budget tablet runs the same software as flagships, but the hardware can't keep up

Isaac Akinleye — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:00:13 GMT

Samsung’s less expensive tablets can look a lot like the more expensive Galaxy tablets. They now run the same One UI interface and use similar Android apps. They also handle ordinary browsing, streaming, and occasional work without much fuss.

I was not prepared for Lenovo's latest mechanical keyboard

Brandon Miniman — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:30:14 GMT

My life changed when I switched to a mechanical keyboard. I've been using Logitech's MX Mechanical keyboard all year, and the satisfying action of each key has made typing everything more pleasing and fast.